Lot 0182
Russian Silver Tea Caddy in Oriental Style, I. P. Khlebnikov, Moscow, late 19th century
Estimate: 900-1000€
A Russian Tea Caddy in oriental style
Moscow, firm of I. P. Khlebnikov, late 19th century
Silver; engraved, gilding.
Dimensions: 10.7 × 8.9 × 8.9 cm. Weight 376 g. Marks: stamped on the underside with the firm’s mark “Khlebnikov” under the Imperial warrant, 84 zolotnik silver standard, Moscow assay mark. A finely proportioned silver tea caddy of hexagonal form, rising to a faceted shoulder and a circular neck with a fitted lid. The surface is enriched with delicately engraved floral sprays, roses, butterflies, and a dragonfly, while the lid is centred with a luxuriant bouquet framed by beaded borders.
Tea caddies of this type were intended for the storage of loose-leaf tea and belong to the elegant culture of the Russian tea table in the second half of the 19th century. The present example was produced by the honorable Moscow firm of Ivan Petrovich Khlebnikov, one of the most distinguished Russian silversmithing houses of the Imperial period. Founded in 1871, the firm gained wide renown for the quality of its gold and silver wares, received numerous awards at Russian and international exhibitions, and held the title of Supplier to the Imperial Court. Although especially admired for works in the neo-Russian taste, Khlebnikov’s workshop also excelled in objects of refined domestic silver such as the present caddy.
Starting price: 800€
Estimate: 900-1000€
Hammer Price: €
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Lot 0181
Fabergé Silver-Gilt Centrepiece Vase in the Neo-Classical Style, Moscow, 1908–1917
Estimate: 18000-22000€
Lot 0181
Fabergé Silver-Gilt Centrepiece Vase in the Neo-Classical Style, Moscow, 1908–1917
Estimate: 18000-22000€Fabergé. A silver-gilt centrepiece vase in the Neo-Classical style
Fabergé Firm, 1908-1917
Silver, gilding, cast, engraving, chased.
Marked: Fabergé in Cyrillic; 84 standard silver mark; Moscow assay mark. Total weight: 1288 g. Dimensions: 16,5 x 31 x 23,8 cm.
This elegant silver-gilt centrepiece vase, formed and decorated in the Neo-Classical taste. Of shallow circular form, it is raised on a spreading pedestal foot enriched with fluting and meandr border. The rim is encircled by delicate bands of stylised laurel ornament, withe attenuated loop handles formed with eagles heads. The gilt interior provides a luminous contrast to the restrained silver exterior.
The design belongs to the historicising classicism that remained highly popular in Russian decorative art at the turn of the twentieth century. Its measured proportions, controlled ornament, and reference to antique and Empire-derived forms place the object within the tradition of luxury table wares intended for formal domestic or ceremonial display.
The bowl was produced by the Moscow branch of Fabergé, which began operating in 1887 with a workshop and shop on Kuznetsky Most. In 1890 the firm acquired a silver factory formerly owned by the Finnish merchant Christian Lindroos, and by 1891 production was established under Fabergé’s own name. The factory was subsequently modernised with new presses, machinery, and electrification, under the direction of Mikhail Moiseevich Chepurnov. As Franz Birbaum later recalled, while the St Petersburg workshops excelled in jewellery and enamels, the Moscow factory became especially renowned for its large-scale silver production; from about 1900, major silver wares were executed there. Objects from the Moscow branch are comparatively rare today, as large quantities of stock remaining after the Revolution were confiscated in 1919, and only a limited number of pieces have since reappeared on the art market.Starting price: 15000€
Estimate: 18000-22000€
Hammer Price: € -
Lot 0183
Fabergé Silver Charka Inset with Coin, St Petersburg, 1899–1904
Estimate: 3500-4500€
Lot 0183
Fabergé Silver Charka Inset with Coin, St Petersburg, 1899–1904
Estimate: 3500-4500€Faberge. Silver charka inset with a coin. St. Petersburg, Fabergé firm, master Jenny Vyakeva, 1899–1904
Silver, engraving, gilding
Dimensions: 4.6 × 9.7 cm; Weight: 66 g
Marks: Firm mark “K. FABERGÉ” with Imperial warrant, master’s mark “JW.”, assay mark of St. Petersburg, 1899–1904, 84 zolotnik silver standard.
The charka is modeled with a rounded body and smooth walls, adorned along the upper edge with an ornamental band featuring stylized floral motifs. Its handle is gracefully curved, ending with a 20 kopeck coin from the reign of Catherine the Great.
Following the death of Konstantin Vyakeva, Jenny Vyakevaa, his young widow, took the responsibility of learning the silverworking craft. In 1902, she acquired the right to mark silver pieces, as she held a stake in the family business. However, after a brief time in the silver industry, Jenny pursued a new path in midwifery. Silver items from Jenny Vyakeva are rare, given her brief career in the trade during the early 1900s.
The incorporation of numismatic items into silver works was common among Russian goldsmiths, especially in award bowls, charkas, kovshes, and mugs. The Fabergé firm frequently featured such coins, worked by renowned masters like Mikhail Perkhin, Erik Kollin, Julius Rappoport, Anders (Antti) Nevalainen, and August Holmström.
Comparable item: https://www.bonhams.com/auction/17810/lot/190/a-presentation-silver-charka-with-coin-faberge-marks-of-alexander-wakeva-st-petersburg-1898-1908-diameter-65cm-2-12in/Starting price: 3000€
Estimate: 3500-4500€
Hammer Price: € -
Lot 0184
Russian Silver Tea Service in Original Fitted Case, Pavel Ovchinnikov, St Petersburg, 1895
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Lot 0184
Russian Silver Tea Service in Original Fitted Case, Pavel Ovchinnikov, St Petersburg, 1895
Estimate: 6000-8000€A Russian Silver Tea Service in the Original Fitted Wood Case
Maker’s mark of Pavel Ovchinnikov with Imperial Warrant
St. Petersburg, 1895
Total silver weight: 1302 g
Height of teapot: 14 cm
Dimensions of the box: 30.5 × 50.5 × 14 cmComprising a teapot, sugar bowl, cream jug, tea strainer, sugar tongs, and twelve spoons, all finely crafted in silver and preserved in the original velvet-lined wooden traveling case, the interior of the lid stamped in gilt with the Imperial double-headed eagle and the Cyrillic inscription Iz magazina fabrikanta P. Ovchinnikova (“From the shop of the manufacturer P. Ovchinnikov”).
Pavel Akimovich Ovchinnikov (1830–1888) was one of the most distinguished Russian silversmiths and enamel artists of the nineteenth century. Born a serf, he trained in Moscow and, after purchasing his freedom in 1850, founded his own workshop in 1851. By the 1860s, his factory had become one of the largest in Russia, employing over a hundred craftsmen and gaining recognition as the leading innovator of the Neo-Russian style.
Appointed official supplier to the Imperial Court in 1865, Ovchinnikov mastered and revived ancient Russian techniques in silver creations, often decorated with folkloric motifs, became symbols of Russian national identity and artistic revival.
Today, works by Ovchinnikov are represented in the State Hermitage Museum, the State Historical Museum, and the Russian Museum, as well as in major private collections worldwide.
Starting price: 5000€
Estimate: 6000-8000€
Hammer Price: € -
Lot 0180
Russian Silver Card Case (Visiting Card Holder), Moscow, 1908–1917
Estimate: 400-500€
Lot 0180
Russian Silver Card Case (Visiting Card Holder), Moscow, 1908–1917
Estimate: 400-500€Silver card case (Visiting Card Holder) in Art-Noveau style. Moscow, Ivan Tarabrov, 1908–1917.
Silver; chasing. Size: 6.2 × 10.1 cm. Weight: 71 g. Marks: maker’s mark “IT» in triangle, Moscow assay mark 1908-1917.
A restrained, elegantly proportioned card case exemplifying the sober refinement of Moscow Art Nouveau. The design relies on pure geometry and impeccable finishing rather than ornament: broad, smoothly polished planes catch and modulate light, turning the silver surface itself into the principal decorative element. Ivan Filippovich Tarabrov operated a workshop (later a factory) of gold and silver objects in Moscow (1893–1917), based in his own house on Bolshaya Dvoryanskaya Street. By the late 1890s his enterprise ranked among the city’s leading jewellery manufacturers, employing dozens of craftsmen and producing a substantial annual output.Starting price: 300€
Estimate: 400-500€
Hammer Price: €